Adam Selzer

As a co-founder and senior director, Adam is focused on forging a strong team culture and pulling us towards our long-term vision. He’s designed Civilla’s physical studio, leads foundational team initiatives (like our work towards equity in design), and supports everyone on the team through on-going coaching and mentorship.

Adam brings a deep background in design leadership and teaching that helps him nurture people and projects across the organization. Before co-founding Civilla, Adam worked as a design director at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, a lecturer and fellow at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (the d.school), and a design and innovation consultant nationally and internationally.

His journey to Civilla started long before any of those titles and roles, though. He credits much of his creative, collaborative energy to his passion for music – which he spent a few years pursuing in his early 20s. Music taught him to work closely with others, sometimes taking the lead and sometimes taking back-up, and push the boundaries of his own creative abilities.

Adam earned an MS from Stanford University in learning, design, and technology and a BS from Vanderbilt University in human and organizational development.